Earlier in the week, we published pictures of students at Glen Innes High School making and painting countless feathers, all to be assembled into a pair of wings to symbolise ambition – girls can become women who soar. Now, the wings have been finished. They were displayed at a special assembly in the school and were to be given a prominent place at a special ceremony for high-achieving Aboriginal students to be held at the Services Club. It’s all part of the theme “Because of Her, We Can!” – a marking of the strong women on whom the next generation of women will build. One of the teachers, Adele Chapman-Burgess, said: “We are celebrating all Aboriginal women from the past – our elders, our sisters, our mothers, our grandmothers, everyone who’s come before us and who has paved the way and made it easier for us to be in the positions that we are in now. “And it’s also telling everyone out there that we have strong women in our community and we can be anyone that we want to be.” As the room full of girls painted and collaborated, art teacher, Abi Sparks, said: “Each student is making four or five different feathers so we looked at some symbolism of flight and birds and the relationships between artists and the land and animals so we thought that wings captured that idea that we’re all free and that symbolism of flying. “It’s a collaboration so all the students have different pieces and we’re putting them altogether on a big set of wings.” Student, Taylor Murdoch, said that she was involved in the creative activity “to say that we can do what we want that we can fly and be who we want to be and not hide in the dark”. Alkira Blair-Bain echoed that idea of ambition built on past achievement: “As women we can fly and do whatever please and be whatever we want to be”. Adele Chapman-Burgess said that the theme was not limited to Aboriginal women: “It’s for all women: that we can break that glass ceiling and do whatever we want to do”.

Earlier in the week, we published pictures of students at Glen Innes High School making and painting countless feathers, all to be assembled into a pair of wings to symbolise ambition – girls can become women who soar.

Now, the wings have been finished. They were displayed at a special assembly in the school and were to be given a prominent place at a special ceremony for high-achieving Aboriginal students to be held at the Services Club.

It’s all part of the theme “Because of Her, We Can!” – a marking of the strong women on whom the next generation of women will build.

One of the teachers, Adele Chapman-Burgess, said: “We are celebrating all Aboriginal women from the past – our elders, our sisters, our mothers, our grandmothers, everyone who’s come before us and who has paved the way and made it easier for us to be in the positions that we are in now.

“And it’s also telling everyone out there that we have strong women in our community and we can be anyone that we want to be.”

As the room full of girls painted and collaborated, art teacher, Abi Sparks, said: “Each student is making four or five different feathers so we looked at some symbolism of flight and birds and the relationships between artists and the land and animals so we thought that wings captured that idea that we’re all free and that symbolism of flying.

“It’s a collaboration so all the students have different pieces and we’re putting them altogether on a big set of wings.”

Student, Taylor Murdoch, said that she was involved in the creative activity “to say that we can do what we want that we can fly and be who we want to be and not hide in the dark”.

Alkira Blair-Bain echoed that idea of ambition built on past achievement: “As women we can fly and do whatever please and be whatever we want to be”.

Adele Chapman-Burgess said that the theme was not limited to Aboriginal women: “It’s for all women: that we can break that glass ceiling and do whatever we want to do”.